Posted in reply to the post by wildflower:
on this day, july 4th, 2009,i want to make a toast in honor of 2 great american patriots who died 173 years ago on the 4th of july 1826, the 50th anniversary of the declaration of independence.
John adams began attending harvard at the age of 16, was ambassador and negotiator, fund raiser in europe during the revolutionary war. He was a writer & signer of the declaration of independence, wrote the constitution of massachusetts, was first us minister to great britain, first vice-president of the us, second president of the us and father of president, john quincy adams........ His list of his accomplishments and personal sacrifices, is astounding.
He and thomas jefferson were friends from 1786 until the end of their lives in 1826, even though they had a lot of disagreements politically and occasionally their letters stopped due to their feuding. In the end, they remained close friends until their deaths a few hours apart on the same day.
Much of the information known about them is taken from their personal correspondence which went on for the decades of their friendship. These letters are at the library of congress. I've attached a copy of some excerpts of their correspondence in pdf format.
I read the book, john adams by david mccullough and it gave me a renewed sense of patriotism and history.
This is a wonderful book, one of those you don't want to end.
It is because of patriots like these that we have many of the rights and freedoms that we so enjoy, sometimes without realizing it.
For a timeline of adams' life go here:
the massachusetts historical society | the adams family papers
so today, i thought it appropriate to recall and honor these amazing men.
And so i raise my glass of kombucha tea high and wish you all a very happy independence day!
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Best
karin lease
july 4th, 2009